In the opening of Echoes of the Jazz Age, Fitzgerald compares writing about the Jazz Age to

• A. a fever dream
• B. a dangerous game
• C. a passing fancy
• D. premature disease

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is that writing about the Jazz Age while it’s unfolding is like catching a premature disease. Fitzgerald uses a clinical, almost infectious metaphor to signal caution: the moment is exciting and powerful, but it’s not fully understood or settled yet, and trying to pin it down in prose too early can distort what the era truly is. This wording emphasizes the feverish, transient energy of the time and the risk of romanticizing or mischaracterizing it before there’s distance and perspective to see it clearly. In context, the Jazz Age denotes a rapid, volatile cultural moment after World War I, and Fitzgerald’s metaphor warns against rushing to definitive judgments or airtight summaries before the phenomenon has run its course.